Night of Stars
by AzoraM
Summary: On a magical night at Gold Saucer, two friends bond over theatrical disasters and starry skies. Aerith and Tifa pre-pairing, fluff.


Tifa awakened to the sound of a ninja making her way to the door of the hotel room the three women shared. The fact that the sound woke her up clearly meant that Yuffie needed some serious work on her 'great ninja' ability, but the short-haired girl seemed oblivious Yuffie was clenching and unclenching her fists as she walked, psyching herself up for something important as she prepared to leave.

"What is it, Yuffie?" asked a still wide-awake Aerith as she pushed her braid over her shoulder.. Apparently Tifa wasn't the only one who'd been awakened by the excessive noise coming from the doorway. As Yuffie spun on her heel and started to stammer something about needing some air, Aerith rose from her bed and hushed the younger girl.

"Then go! And tell us all about it when you get back. He won't bite, don't worry," Aerith said with a wink, gently pushing Yuffie out the door. The flower girl then closed the door and made her way back to Tifa, the green eyes dancing in this light. Clearly Aerith thought something was amusing.

Tifa felt her frustration spike, then give way to disappointment with herself. It was then that she caught on to what Aerith had known: Yuffie liked Cloud too, and the ninja was the lucky girl who was going to take their leader on a date tonight. That made three of them, Tifa thought with a bitter sigh.

She allowed herself one moment to regret the missed opportunity, one moment to consider everything that needed to be said to him that would have to wait. And then she shifted her expression into an appropriate attentive face for conversation, her fingers smoothing the edges of her skirt. "Cloud's going to bite her?"

"It'd make for a funny story, wouldn't it?" Aerith joked with a delighted giggle, walking across in a room so gracefully that Tifa almost thought she was floating. She was so…together despite it all. "But if he makes a mess we'll have to be the ones to clean it up," Aerith continued, wrinkling her nose.

Tifa had to agree, and she even found herself almost smiling along. "She might steal his materia again. Just imagine his face! I wouldn't want to be whoever he runs into next after that."

"Then we'll just have to run for it, won't we?" Aerith asked, and suddenly Tifa felt a new charge of energy in the air. The flower girl tilted her head in the warm light, her eyes fully fixed on Tifa. There was something being implied here, and as usual Tifa found herself hurrying to keep up.

"Run? Where to, when?" Tifa asked, propping her chin up with a fist as she thought.

"We'll know when we hear the boots. But why don't we get some practice tonight?" Aerith suggested, quirking an eyebrow as she studied Tifa's face.

"Practice running off together?" Tifa asked, looking absolutely puzzled.

"Right! Come on, let's go have some fun. It might be our last chance for a while." There was something in the way Aerith said that line…she was looking at Tifa seriously, imploring the bartender to come along. Aerith was having fun, as usual, and her smile was ever-present, but the flower girl's face had a hint of seriousness to it. As if she knew it really was their last chance to have fun for a long while.

Tifa's mind flashed back to the earlier conversation about the Promised Land. And before that…back at Cosmo Canyon, when Aerith had whispered about how she felt all alone in the world. This night was something Aerith really wanted, wasn't it? Tifa couldn't deny her friend a chance to escape from reality, especially when it was something she both needed. With a tiny nod, Tifa stood and walked to the door, smiling at Aerith from the doorframe.

"Then we're going out. This way!" Tifa pointed, looking like the proud tour guide she'd once been.

"No, this way!" Aerith argued. How could they be going in two different directions when they hadn't even left the room yet? Tifa's baffled look remained on her face until Aerith hooked her arm through Tifa's, leading her out the door and down the stairs. "If you're going to be my date tonight, you're going to look the part. Right?"

Them, a couple? Tifa's face took on an interesting shade of pink as she straightened her shoulders, walking arm and arm with Aerith out of the hotel. They didn't break contact until it was time to jump down the chute to the central station. Even then, as they tumbled out of the tunnel and into the brightly lit central hub, Aerith was quick to grab Tifa's arm again.

"It's a little crowded tonight. I can't risk losing my date!" Aerith explained, grinning brightly when she overheard the announcement that all attractions were free. "Free? Wow, it's our lucky night!"

Tifa smiled in response, pointing out a sign. "There's going to be a play in the Event Square tonight! _Galadia's True Rose_. Do you want to see it?"

Aerith clapped her hands in delight, dragging Tifa straight to the tunnel. "Come on, we'll miss it if we don't hurry!"

They entered a dim theater with a brightly lit main stage. Apparently they arrived with five minutes to spare. Tifa thought they were late, but they were informed by an anxious usher that the lead actor and actress were taking a few extra moments to get into costume. Tifa thought she heard him mumble something about the crazy equipment kids were wearing these days, but she didn't have time to ponder it. Aerith was already leading her to one of the few benches with open space toward the back. There were so many tall people in front of them that they had to sit quite close together to share the one gap in the crowd with a clear shot of the stage, but Tifa didn't mind too much.

Just as Aerith and Tifa had settled comfortably on their bench, the announcements began: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is Gold Saucer's great pleasure to present to you this special performance, _Galdia's True Rose_! And this is no ordinary performance: tonight's stars are true lovers, selected from this very audience! Please give your warmest welcome to them, and we hope you all enjoy a magical night at Gold Saucer!"

Aerith and Tifa joined in the applause as the curtain opened, taking in the tale of an ancient kingdom as the narrator began her speech. It was all wonderfully romantic, Tifa thought…a princess in a bind, rescued by her hero in shining armor! Oh, she hoped she'd get lost in the action. And a real couple in love would be the hero and princess? It had to be good. She was excited already.

They were on the edges of their seats as the hero Alfred appeared, and they nearly toppled out of them at the same moment. The romantic lead of tonight's play was…Cloud? His hair was mussed, giving the impression that someone had tried to shove a hat over his spikes and quickly abandoned the idea. He was dressed in an especially outlandish blue and gold suit that looked quite itchy from where they sat.

"He looks like he belongs back in Wall Market," Aerith whispered, unable to stop herself from laughing.

Tifa, still in shock, took a moment to reply. "Don't be silly! The dress you helped him with looked nicer than that if I recall correctly."

At the silent request of the audience members glaring at them, Aerith and Tifa stifled their laughter. They watched attentively as Alfred spoke awkwardly to the knight…not that he did very much speaking. Cloud seemed to prefer pantomiming his lines most of the time. Tifa lifted her hands in imitation of Cloud's shrug, a gesture that threatened to break Aerith's control on her laughter. They turned their attention back to the play, where Alfred-Cloud was currently interrogating the kingdom's wizard.

"Great legendary hero, what do you wish to know?" the wizard Vorman asked Alfred.

"I wish to know…the Princess's measurements," Cloud asked, puffing up his chest and speaking in his most regal voice.

Tifa nearly shot out of her seat in protest, all romantic notions quickly shattered. Who was this Princess, anyway? Did they really mean Yuffie? How could he say that about her? It was only Aerith's sudden grip on her hand that stopped Tifa from making a very public outburst.

Sure enough, the rubber-suited Evil Dragon King soon arrived, suspended by cables that were visible even as far back as Aerith and Tifa were. The 'dragon' carried Princess Rosa in his arms: poor Yuffie was stuffed into a poofy pink dress, flowers secured to her headband to make her appear more feminine.

Yuffie seemed to be taking the play seriously, at least, despite the complaints they were sure she must have had about the costume. As cheesy and ridiculous as it was, she acted the part of a princess very well. Tifa found herself charmed, realizing that Yuffie had had plenty of practice as royalty in Wutai, even if she hadn't liked it. Surely Cloud would see this serious performance and stop goofing off? Tifa turned back to the play with a smile.

"Hero Alfred, who is your enemy?" growled the evil dragon king in a voice that sounded like the owner had been smoking for 40 years. Cid would be proud.

"The King," Cloud responded, turning back to the kingdom's king and shrugging. Tifa slapped her forehead. Aerith groaned. It would be amusing if it wasn't hurting poor Yuffie-even from here, she could see Yuffie's posture shifting into an angry one.

The act over, Yuffie lifted the hem of her dress and stomped toward the least heroic hero she'd ever seen. "Come on, Cloud! I'm trying to be serious here and you…"

Cloud shrugged, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Okay, now I'm pissed!" That was it for Yuffie. She smacked Cloud as hard as she could, causing him to fall back in shock. Tifa and Aerith cheered-as much as they might like their leader otherwise, they had to agree that he deserved it.

"Gah! You dare ignore me?" growled the dragon, stomping from foot to foot. The dragon still needed to be defeated one way or another, and without Alfred, how would this absurd disaster of a play be resolved?

Aerith and Tifa didn't need to wonder about it for long. "Just shut up!" Yuffie hollered, spinning around and punching the poor actor hard in the gut. He went flying off the stage, the dragon head rolling to Yuffie's feet. She picked up the discarded head in triumph, and Aerith and Tifa couldn't help but applaud her. The new legendary hero Rosa left the stage with her prize hoisted above her head.

"…Yuffie's not going to give that back, is she?" Tifa whispered in Aerith's ear.

"Probably not," Aerith agreed sagely, standing and stretching when Tifa did. "Well, that was fun! Now where to go next…" After a few long moments of thought, she grabbed Tifa's hand and dragged her back toward the station. "I know just the thing! How about we do something a little more exciting?"

"Like what? Chocobo racing?" Tifa asked, glancing at the directory once again. That could be fun, or it could be a disaster. She'd had fun the first time she'd tried it a few weeks ago, but they'd already done their 'laughing at a friend's incompetence' activity for the night.

"Nope! Close your eyes," Aerith ordered. "I'm taking you there myself. And no peeking!"

Oh, Aerith. Tifa closed her eyes, making a startled noise when she felt Aerith blindfold her with one of her spare ribbons. The flower girl led the way now, tugging Tifa's hand as they walked down yet another tunnel. It felt…nice, feeling this close to Aerith, Tifa had to admit. Aerith's hands were soft, and she stayed close to ensure Tifa didn't trip on her feet or bump into anything. With how crowded the Gold Saucer was tonight, it was quite a feat. Judging by the sounds around her and the other people she felt, and the metal rod she felt against her hip, Tifa guessed they were standing in a line of some sort.

Before too long, Tifa felt Aerith's hands reaching behind her head to undo the makeshift blindfold. They were next in line to board the roller coaster in Speed Square. "Roller coaster?" Tifa asked.

"That's right. Come on, we're going for the high score!" Aerith encouraged Tifa, leading her to a two-seat car they could share while sitting side by side "You take the left, I'll take the right. We're aiming for at least five thousand points!"

"Five thousand? Any particular reason why?" Tifa asked, wiggling her hips to fit snugly in the seat. It was a tight fit. Aerith seemed amused by Tifa's struggles, her hip bumping against Tifa's as she settled in. The flower girl was already manning the right-hand gun, finger poised on the trigger.

"Because that's how many points I need for the umbrella! What would a date night at a carnival be without a prize?"

Tifa had to concede that Aerith was right. She readied her hands on the left-side gun as the ride started, smirking at Aerith. "All right, we'll get you that umbrella. But it's hardly fair if I don't get something in return!"

Aerith didn't have a response for that. She simply smiled and started looking for their first target. Soon, they were both yelling-the ride started with a few upside down loops, and Tifa hadn't expected that! Her long hair flew behind her, stretching out beside Aerith's braid as they whizzed down the track into a desert-themed area. The first targets appeared: ghosts, shot down by Tifa's expert hand. Aerith followed suit with the cacti, and before long they were racking up a steady score. They shared a laugh and a high-five at the score-two thousand points already!

"I'm glad I picked you for my partner," Aerith smiled at Tifa, eyes twinkling in the starlight of the next section they entered. The night air felt great, almost magical.

"Don't get too confident yet!" Tifa warned her, shooting down a star for a few extra points. But she was smiling too.

They whizzed past the Ferris wheel and entered a winter wonderland of sorts, surrounded by icicles that reflected a whole rainbow of colors. They shot down icicle after icicle, and Tifa had to admit that Aerith looked especially pretty in this light. The rainbow lights reflected off her chestnut brown hair beautifully, a sight so interesting that Aerith caught her staring.

"What are you looking at?" Aerith asked, shooting past Tifa's arm to catch something Tifa had missed on the left.

"That icicle!" Tifa quickly stammered out, shooting down a falling icicle on Aerith's right. As she turned back to her side, she caught sight of the score. Three thousand points. It was starting to get exciting.

Their next task was shooting down balloons. Aerith playfully extended her hand toward a balloon, trying to 'catch' one. Tifa laughed at the sight. How cute!

"I'll buy you a balloon when we're done, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that," Aerith promised, grinning playfully as the car sped on to the next section. UFOs! Tifa and Aerith shot at flying saucers and rocket ships. Tifa quietly wondered what Cid would think. All this playful amusement about space travel when the one and only space program had been shut down in its prime! She imagined a few well-timed swear words from his vocabulary and chuckled to herself, shaking her head.

After a quick detour through a fiery canyon, Tifa looked down at the score once again. Four thousand and five hundred points! They were so close! Aerith glanced over at the same moment and shared Tifa's excitement, eagerly looking forward to the next obstacle. From the canyon they rose back up to the starry sky, coming to a sudden stop at the highest height of the ride yet. They looked at each other for a brief moment, their silent questions answered when the largest flying saucer yet overtook their vision.

"It'll be worth a big bonus! Get it!" Aerith yelled, slamming her finger on the trigger with all her might. Her braid was flying everywhere with how quickly she turned her head, never takingher eyes off the target for a second. Tifa shot at the saucer with just as much ferocity, getting swept up in the game along with Aerith. They both gunned desperately at that saucer, the tension hanging in the air for a good thirty seconds before a satisfying explosion startled them out of the trance.

They looked at the score again. Five thousand, five hundred points. Aerith was getting her umbrella.

"We did it!" Aerith cheered, flinging her free arm around Tifa's neck. Tifa laughed and did the same, grateful for an excuse to pull her hand free from the toy gun and flex her fingers. The ride appeared to be giving them a short break before pulling them into the station. She decided to take the moment and just smile at Aerith, waiting for the moment when they touched down and bought that umbrella.

A few seconds of downtime soon became a minute. Another minute later, the barest sound of an announcement reached their ears: _technical difficulties, personnel advised to monitor the gondola situation, speed square service will resume in approximately seven minutes_.

"Looks like we're stuck here for a little while," Aerith breathed, her face still flushed with the excitement of her victory. Tifa nodded quietly to herself, unsure of what else she could say…she was happy for Aerith, yes, and she was having more fun than she ever expected, but…what do you say in a situation like this?

"Guess so," Tifa finally said quietly. She could've kicked herself for how ridiculous that sounded.

Aerith's face turned up to the stars, her eyes taking in as many of the little lights as she possibly could. "Look, Tifa," she whispered, pointing up at the tiny lights.

"They're pretty, aren't they?" Tifa said, pushing a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. Aerith nodded her agreement, but soon other words were tumbling from her mouth.

"Do you think they know how we see them?" Aerith wondered aloud, her fingers drumming on their car's safety bar.

"What do you mean?" Tifa turned back to Aerith, watching the side profile of the flower girl's face. Aerith looked so sure, and Tifa felt lost. What else was new?

"Do you see the constellations? Shiva, with her ice crystal? Ifrit and his horns?" Aerith started tracing shapes in the sky, showing Tifa where each constellation began and ended. Appropriately, Ifrit's biggest star had a reddish tinge and Shiva's largest had a blue one. As Aerith traced the constellations, the bangles she wore made a light clinking noise that Tifa couldn't help but find charming.

"I see. I mean…I looked through the telescope back at Bugenhagen's observatory, but he was more interested in the movements of the planets. And Red seemed more interested in the fire," Tifa thought, marveling at the shining stars. They were beautiful.

"Maybe Nanaki was looking for some grounding," Aerith speculated, the tone of her voice suggesting that she was thinking of more than just her friend.

"Hmm?"

"What I meant with the stars is…we look up and we see patterns. Constellations, bright stars to guide us. From here they look so close together that we can trace the shapes. But from out there…Tifa, we can't see it, but the stars are so far apart. They're all alone out there in space."

"This isn't just about stars, is it?" Tifa asked kindly, her hand on the safety bar inching closer to Tifa's. Their pinkie fingers were almost touching.

"Lately I've been feeling the same," Aerith confided, turning to look at Tifa with an oddly open expression. "When I hear the Planet…I'm worried about it. The voices are overwhelming. They talk about how sick it is, and sometimes I feel like it's sweeping me along for a ride I can't control."

"But we're going to stop that, right Aerith? We'll heal it," Tifa swore, the tip of her finger now touching Aerith's. Tifa bit her lip-that was what she'd been fighting for all along. To protect this Planet.

"I don't know all that much, but the Planet doesn't think of these things the same way that you do. It's so sick…and with Sephiroth coming, and the different things I feel from the Planet, sometimes I wonder if it's too much to hope for happiness. The voices are louder and louder, darker and darker..." Aerith's expression was more vulnerable than Tifa had ever seen it. She looked so much like a lonely little girl that it scared Tifa.

Those words stirred a powerful reaction within Tifa that she couldn't quite explain. All those things Aerith said these past few weeks about being the last of her kind, about being locked up as a test subject, about being all alone? She wouldn't stand for it, she wouldn't let the pain go on anymore. Tifa shook her head, her hair flying behind her as she took Aerith's hand in her own. "Don't give up, never give up hope. You're the one who told me that, remember? You're one of us, Aerith. Don't doubt that for a second. You're not one of those lonely stars, you're part of Avalanche. You're in our family."

"Tifa…" Aerith whispered, a fragile smile starting to spread on her face. Just as her mouth opened to say something more, their car suddenly took off. They rocketed down a steep slope, plummeting through stars until they finally careened to a stop back at the loading dock. When they moved to lift the safety bar from their laps. Aerith and Tifa found to their surprise that they were still holding hands.

"Aha…excuse me," Tifa pulled away first, jumping out of the car and clearing the way for Aerith. She locked those last few moments away to digest later, back to being the ever-present friend. "Time for your umbrella, right?"

"That's right," Aerith said with a light laugh, seemingly back to normal as well. She bounced right over to the prize redemption counter, twirling her new purple umbrella with delight when it was handed to her. As they withdrew to a corner of the room to check that they still had all their belongings, Aerith suddenly popped the parasol open, obscuring the rest of the crowd from their view.

Tifa looked alarmed. "Aerith, don't you know it's bad luck to open an umbrella indoors?"

"Luck?" Aerith whispered innocently, reaching over to Tifa's shoulder with her free hand. "I'm not worried. I'm really lucky tonight."

She hooked an arm around Tifa's waist. "Aerith…" Tifa protested.

Tifa's protest was cut off by the sudden sensation of a soft kiss against her cheek. After a second of surprise, Tifa relaxed, then turned to see Aerith's bright expression. What was this about?

Aerith answered the question by leaning up to Tifa's ear, whispering a "thank you".

And there, Tifa realized, was her prize in exchange for helping to win Aerith's umbrella. And perhaps for more. When she thought her blush had subsided, she reached over to help Aerith close the parasol. "Now let's go find you that balloon," Tifa winked.

They walked hand in hand to the tunnel, and this time Tifa didn't mind at all.


End file.
